Former LSU quarterback Matt Mauck’s Lisfranc injury should have never happened. It also spurred a title run a year later.
As LSU mauled the Florida Gators in The Swamp, 36-7, Mauck broke his foot running in the fourth quarter. He missed the rest of the 2002 season, but he spent the rehabilitation months transforming from a scrambling signal caller to a polished passer. In 2003, he set the school record for passing touchdowns and helped the Tigers capture the BCS National Championship. When you can’t run, you have to throw.
Leavitt’s performance against Texas A&M was the microwaved version of Mauck’s 2002-03 recovery. The Tigers quarterback tweaked a hamstring in the first half and was anchored to the pocket the rest of the night.
He calmly surveyed the field play after play and ripped throw after throw on the money to a wide receiving corps playing without his tight end Trey’Dez Green.
Leavitt completed 74% of his throws. Nine of his 17 completions went for over 15 yards. The offensive line protected him, and he feasted on Texas A&M’s secondary for 312 yards on 18 yards per completion.
His best throws went for scores to Jackson Harris.
With under two minutes left in the first half, Leavitt took a shot down the right sideline to a streaking Harris. Defensive back Julio Humphrey never turned around, and Harris made the play falling to the Tiger Stadium turf. That capped a strong first half and put the Aggies on the ropes. The knockout blow came in the second half thanks to an aggressive call and brilliant execution.
LSU forced a three-and-out to get the ball back to the offense which faced a fourth-and-one from their own 43. Head coach Lane Kiffin decided to go for it, and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. trusted his quarterback to take a shot. A play-action fake allowed Harris to blow by A&M’s secondary. Leavitt didn’t rush anything, lofting a perfect strike to Harris who took it in for a 57-yard score.
Leavitt showed no sign of the head ducking and frantic scrambles that had been hallmarks of the first three weeks of the season. Kiffin and Weis have a way of coaching quarterbacks to marked improvement, and perhaps Saturday night was a big step in Leavitt’s development. That, or he just couldn’t run because of the hamstring.
The McNeese game comes at the perfect time. Leavitt can rest if he needs it. Reserve quarterback Landen Clark can take some snaps. He can play all four quarters if need be. That said, Leavitt’s progression and production are paramount to LSU’s season-long goals, and Saturday night was a big step in the right direction.
With a ground game consistently averaging 206 yards per game, a pass rush that has dropped opposing quarterbacks 18 times, the nation’s top run defense, and a coverage unit that yielded just a 37% completion percentage on Saturday, the Tigers have a lot of quality pieces.
Leavitt’s impatience and inaccuracy cost he team last week against Ole Miss in Oxford. Not Saturday night.
The Tigers (3-1) enter October needing a perfect month to stay on track for a playoff berth. That will be easier said than done as Kentucky looks like a scrappy club, Mississippi State is unbeaten, and Jordan Hare in Auburn figures to be full when the purple and gold show up on The Plains.
To get where the Tigers would like to go, Leavitt needs to play at an elite level.
Even if Saturday night’s steps were painful, they were in the right direction.
